Interesting Facts

Danny Radcliffe, Harry Potter, and J. K. Rowling all have the same birthday, July 31.

Danny had not read the "Harry Potter" books before being considered for the title role.

More than 16,000 children in the U.K. and U.S. auditioned for the role of Harry Potter, including American actors Haley Joel Osment and Frankie Muniz. But when J. K. Rowling saw a tape of Danny's screen test, she felt she had been reunited with a long-lost son.

Danny Radcliffe has blue eyes, Harry Potter's eyes are green. Danny had to wear uncomfortable green contact lenses all the while filming "Harry Potter".

Danny is initially committed to do the first 2 movies. But his character, Harry, does grow older as the books progress, experiences puberty and is 17 years old in the yet-to-be-written Book 7, the last of the series.

Speaking of puberty, Danny Radcliffe's voice changed during the 9-month filming of "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone". During some scenes, young Joe Sowerbutts' (uncredited) voice was dubbed in as Harry.

Rupert Grint says that he and his character Ron Weasley have very much in common, while Emma Watson says that she and her character Hermione Granger are very different.

In the U.K., the first book in this series is known as "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" and the movie will also have that U.K. title. In the U.S., the book and film both carry the title "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone". Scenes in which the "stone" is mentioned were shot twice, once for each version of the movie.

Production has started on the second movie in the series, "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets", scheduled for release on November 15, 2002.